A petition aimed at convincing a brewery to reconsider its decision to give a much-loved landlord notice to quit has amassed more than 700 signatures in less than a week.

Marcus Wan, the landlord of The Yew Tree in Walkern High Street, says McMullen has given him and his wife Amy until the end of August to vacate their positions, with no explaination given.

He said: “I asked what I had done wrong, but there was no reason given. I was shocked and very angry.

“It’s never easy running a village pub, but to me I have excelled. I’ve invested a lot of money in this business.

“I don’t understand, although legally my lease had run out. The possibility is they are going to sell the pub.”

On Saturday, regular Justin Nye started an online petition to “convince McMullen to grant Amy and Marcus two more years at The Yew Tree”, and by Tuesday 690 people had signed it. Now the total is closing in on 800.

Justin said: “It would seem the pub as we know it is under threat. Amy and Marcus have worked hard at The Yew Tree for more than eight years and have built a popular and thriving business.

“The show of support has been absolutely fantastic and Amy and Marcus deserve it. They are a real asset to our community. “The speed at which these signatures have been gathered highlights the true feeling and gratitude people have for Amy and Marcus and the service they both provide our small community.”

A spokesman for McMullen said: “Marcus’ fixed term agreement formally came to an end in September 2016. He has been aware for nearly two years of our continuing concerns on a wide ranging number of matters and what he would need to do to be granted a new agreement. For example, we were keen to try and reverse the 24 per cent real sales decline in beer volume that has occurred during his tenure.

“Critically, Marcus has consistently refused to provide a business plan that is required for the grant of a new agreement.

“We want to invest in the pub to ensure its long-term viability. We have owned the pub for nearly a century and, with the co-operation of the community, would like to continue this.”

About the petition, he said: “We are not surprised by the strength of feeling, as the customers clearly care about the pub, but this feeling has been manipulated by false rumours about the pub closing.”

To sign the petition, visit http://chn.ge/2J5VvmM.